


Rules Are Meant To Be Broken

by squire



Series: Late Night [2]
Category: Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Angst, Car Sex, Casual Sex, Developing Relationship, Explicit Consent, Feelings Realisation, Fuckbuddies To Lovers, Hux has trust issues, Identity Reveal, Light BDSM, Light breathplay, M/M, Punishment, Rules negotiation, Spanking
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-14
Updated: 2019-12-14
Packaged: 2021-02-18 03:28:25
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 10,719
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21721030
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/squire/pseuds/squire
Summary: Really, he should have known that with a brat like Kylo, rules were only there to be broken. Hux was a fool if he thought he could contain this affair within the span of a few evening hours and the walls of his flat.
Relationships: Armitage Hux/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren
Series: Late Night [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1565527
Comments: 78
Kudos: 163





	1. Chapter 1

The first night after Hux’s fridge broke and after the hilariously improbable (in Hux’s opinion) but still entirely logical (in Kylo’s) series of events that followed, they both ended up sprawled on Hux’s sofa, with Hux rubbing lotion into the flesh of Kylo’s butt while Kylo devoured a delivered sushi box and talked about his preferences and limits. Hux was too fascinated to even remind him that he shouldn’t talk with his mouth full. 

“If you’re into ropes and harnesses and this stuff, you should know that suspension makes me queasy. Also my right arm won’t go all the way behind my back, bad shoulder from sports in high school. But tie me to the bed and fuck me six ways from Sunday and I’ll love it.”

Hux was far from new at this, even though he had a bit of a dry spell after he moved to the States. But the man lounging over his lap wasn’t one of the shy, sweet subs he was used to. Kylo knew exactly what he liked and how he liked it. 

“You’re a bit of a high maintenance brat, aren’t you?” Hux said with amusement, recapping the aloe lotion and putting it away. Something was telling him that he’ll need it in a week or so again, if Kylo was going to keep his act up. 

“You like it,” Kylo said confidently, popping the last of California rolls into his mouth. “You’re an overachiever.” 

Hux chose to say nothing to that, simply because it was true. But no need to feed Kylo’s ego by confirming it. 

“Another thing.” Kylo rose up to half-sitting, supporting himself on one arm and taking Hux’s hand in the other, bringing it against his throat and leaning into it. 

“I like this. Puts me under real quick. But it’s fine if you’d rather not do it. Takes a steady hand and a bit of practice.”

Hux could feel the large Adam’s apple bobbing under his palm as Kylo talked. He experimentally tightened his fingers just a little, applying the tiniest pressure, and watched with fascination as Kylo’s mouth went slack, his eyes half-lidded and dreamy. 

“So sensitive,” he whispered almost to himself. _So sweet like this,_ he thought. 

“I bet I’d love to choke on your dick, too,” Kylo said, and just like that, the hint of sweetness was gone, in its place the mouthy, cocky, incorrigible brat. 

“I’d spank you again for that dirty mouth but you’d enjoy it far too much.”

Kylo flopped back down, grinning and wiggling his ass. “Yeah, rather sold myself on that one.” He rolled over, making himself comfortable with his head in Hux’s lap and a speculative look in his eyes. 

“I don’t like whips, crops, canes, this stuff. Anything flat goes. Paddles, brush, hands. You can use your fancy shoes if you like. I’d like to see if you could make my ass as red as the sole.”

Hux knew, probably just as well as Kylo did, that high-heeled pumps were extremely unfit for such task but he decided to play along with the fantasy. 

“That’s what would do it for you? Knowing that your insolent hide is marked with something that cost more than you make in a month?”

Kylo grinned with enthusiasm. Hux narrowed his eyes. 

“That’s a very specific hobby you have here. Tough job, finding someone who can satisfy your whims. Tell me, how many men with expensive tastes were willing to take on such a-”

He bit his tongue at the raised eyebrow look Kylo was giving him, realised he overstepped and reluctantly broke character. 

“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t pry-”

Kylo’s slanted mouth and deep set eyes looked strangely melancholic when he wasn’t grinning. 

“I think it’s clear I won’t pass for a blushing virgin,” he sighed. “Though I could pretend, if that’s your thing.”

Hux suppressed a spike of irritation. Fine, he was a bit possessive, but he could keep it down. 

“I’d prefer honesty,” he told Kylo. Yes, he liked to play a game in sex, but not everything had to be an act. 

Kylo nodded, brow still pinched. “Fair enough. But about how many… does it matter? You’re better than any of them.”

Hux huffed. “Flatterer.” But he would lie if he said it didn’t please him. 

Kylo lifted himself, a serious look in his eyes, and kissed Hux’s lips, slowly but firmly, as if he was trying to tell him something without words. His lips tasted salty with the soya sauce and creamy with aioli, a strange combination, but Hux was getting used to them with Kylo. He parted his lips, letting Kylo have the lead in the kiss for once, but Kylo didn’t take it. He seemed content to simply enjoy the moment, the combined warmth and gentle slide of their mouths, the already familiar intimacy of it. 

“I don’t flatter. That was honesty,” Kylo said when they parted, laying his head back down and smiling a little. Hux’s lips tingled and he resisted the urge to bite them. Kylo’s eyes were golden brown and seemed to change colour with his mood, like a trickster. 

“Fair enough,” Hux repeated after him, returning the smile. “I don’t care who tried to handle you before.”

 _I’m just very glad they failed,_ he added to himself. 

“Anything else I should be aware of?” he said instead. 

Kylo chewed on his lip for a moment and then turned his head to burrow his face in the softness of Hux’s stomach. He rubbed his face there, just like a cat, and Hux’s fingers found their way into his hair before he was even aware of doing it. It felt so natural, like something they’ve done a thousand times already. It should have frightened him how well they slotted together, like puzzle pieces that were put into different boxes by mistake and stayed that way for thirty years. 

“I’m not one for...” Kylo began and halted. Hux waited patiently for him to start over. 

“Humiliation doesn't do it for me, at all,” Kylo mumbled finally into Hux’s skin. “I know it’s kinda expected during the play, but I’d prefer if you didn’t do that.”

“Then I won’t,” Hux said softly. 

Kylo perked up. “Promise? Because if I wanted to hear what a disappointment I am, I’d just call my mom. I don’t need that from my… from other people as well.”

That was a sentiment Hux could get behind very well. After all, he didn’t bother making the trip back to the UK for Brendol’s funeral. Hux didn’t need anything from his father, not even the closure. 

He also wondered, why Kylo seemed so anxious about this particular point when he was so brazen and calm about his other preferences. There must have been a bad experience in his past, some asshole disrespecting his wishes. Hux felt a vague urge to wring that somebody’s neck and tried to keep down the protectiveness as well. Kylo could clearly look after himself. 

“I’m sorry about your mom,” he said in the end, unsure if Kylo wanted to talk about it at all. 

“She wanted something better for me than manual work,” Kylo half-shrugged. Then snorted. “Something more distinguished.”

“You’re a very good plumber,” Hux said dryly, picking up on Kylo’s matter-of-fact, cynical tone. The lightness of it felt a little too forced, and Hux didn’t want to dig deeper for now. This was a strange fragility that could quickly turn against him, as he already noticed Kylo could read him with frightening accuracy. 

He tried and failed to imagine Kylo’s uneven face, massive frame and abrasive attitude at a court session, or in a public hearing, or in front of a lecture hall. Nope. But he _was_ a very good plumber, as the absence of water on Hux’s kitchen floor could attest to.

“Now, praises. That’s the sort of things I like to hear,” Kylo grinned, and Hux laughed with him.

They talked a little more, while Hux started braiding Kylo’s hair to keep them away from his face. He didn’t have any ties at hand to fasten the braids so they slipped and untangled as soon as he released them but he didn’t mind. The exercise was more to keep his thoughts focused and to enjoy the silky smoothness under his fingers. Kylo didn’t mind either, on the contrary, he looked ready to purr with bliss. 

None of the braids stayed in place as soon as Kylo got up to finally head to his own flat. Nothing to tell what happened, apart from the slight bulge in his pocket where he stuffed his ruined naughty pants and the barely perceptible gingerness in his step. Hux watched him go and tried not to think about it. 

*

They established a set of rules for their… Hux would be hard pressed to call it a relationship. They were problematic neighbours before, now they were slightly more tolerating-each-other neighbours who also had great sex at least once a week. Hux might have been rusty in the dating game but even he knew that those things didn’t make a relationship. Scratching a mutual itch, more like. 

Therefore, the rules. No taking this outside of the flat. No interfering with work. No sexting. No nudes (Kylo tried). No pouncing on Hux as soon as he came home. Kylo was allowed to come over whenever he felt like playing, but he always had to wait at least an hour after he heard Hux’s key in the lock. Hux knew the importance of making him wait, and he also needed the time to prepare. Kylo had a lot of energy and Hux suspected he could get bored easily, so Hux wanted to bring his A game every time. 

They didn’t talk about exclusivity. That would go way beyond what Kylo was clearly looking for. But there weren’t any unaccounted for bruises on that peachy ass every week, and that made Hux happier than he could explain. 

He knew it wouldn’t last. There was something restless about Kylo, a deep running vein of dissatisfaction with world in general, and Hux didn’t think someone so orderly and dependent on structure like himself could hold Kylo’s interest for long. 

But still, Kylo kept coming to knock on his door, at least once a week. Sometimes more often. 

And sometimes, after sex, he would grab Hux’s pillow, bury his face in it and be out like the light in a matter of minutes. Unconsciously taking over good three quarters of Hux’ mattress, because even the generously sized bed wasn’t prepared for the existence of six foot three plumbers with love of sound spanking and a habit of sleeping sprawled like a starfish. And Hux… he just put the spare key on the kitchen table in the morning when he was getting ready for work, with a note to Kylo to put it in his mailbox on his way out. 

Because seeing him like that, asleep and without a care… Gone was the perpetual frown and defiant scowl that seemed to be default on Kylo’s face during the day. Kylo wasn’t a pleasant man, he wasn’t naturally affable. He lacked the smoothness that would make any interaction with him easier to swallow to the ordinary people. He admitted to having gone through therapy for anger issues a couple of years back. 

But well-spanked, well-fucked and well-cared for… he looked soft. Sweet. Without a care in the world. Happy. And Hux wanted to keep that.

*

Really, he should have known that with a brat like that, rules were only there to be broken. Hux was a fool if he thought he could contain this affair within the span of a few evening hours and the walls of his flat. 

*

Hux stayed longer than usual at work to deal with a Skype call with one of their subdivisions four timezones away. When he got out, it was already dark. The underground garage in the office building whose two top floors they occupied was dimly lit, with just the weak pools of shaky fluorescent light between the sparsely occupied parking slots and drafty shadows by the walls. 

Hux was nearly at his car when he felt, more than saw, one of the shadows move. 

“Hi,” Kylo said, head ducked down with his hair falling over his eyes. Black leather jacket, hands stuck in his pockets and a roguish grin. Hux forced his fingers to unclench from the death grip on his car keys, the plastic chip digging painfully into the meat of his palm. 

It didn’t occur to him up until now that Kylo knew where he worked. Of course, they did talk sometimes about other things than sex, but Hux never noticed how attentive listener Kylo apparently was. 

“How did you get in?” This was a private garage, with security gates on both ends. 

“Had a job here. Posh empty fridges aren’t the only thing that gets broken in this city, you know.” 

Hux looked around. Kylo’s toolbox was sitting on the concrete floor a few steps behind him, but his white van with black letters on the side was nowhere to be seen. 

“And you just hoped someone will give you a ride home,” Hux said dryly. Whether it was a coincidence or Kylo really waited for him, he’d probably never know. 

“I was hoping you would,” Kylo drawled, stepping closer.

From somewhere over several rows of concrete pillars came the muffled sound of closing car doors and Hux nearly jumped. He turned towards the sound of starting car engine and watched the car leave through the gate at the far end. From the distance, he wasn’t even able to tell the colour of the car. A complete stranger. Probably couldn’t even see them. 

The security cameras mounted on the ceiling most certainly could. 

“Get in,” Hux motioned towards the passengers door, sliding into the driver’s seat and drummed his fingers on the wheel, waiting for Kylo to get his toolbox into the back. Now when Kylo got what he wanted, he was quick and cooperative. Not three seconds later he was already folding his long body into the seat next to Hux, stretching his legs and humming in surprise. 

“Nice. Lots of leg room.”

“Don’t get used to it,” Hux warned him as he maneuvered out of the parking slot. Kylo shot him a look out of the corner of his eye. 

“Since this is a one-time occurence, I should be very grateful, right?” he said, licking his lips. 

Hux gritted his teeth together. His mind immediately provided him with an idea to what purposes the extra room in his car could be put to, but they couldn’t. They had rules. Hux was pretty sure that having sex in a car was illegal. 

“Save the spirit for when we get home,” he told Kylo, concentrating on the crossroad lights. They were some twenty minutes away from their apartment complex, even with the traffic. 

Hux felt a finger tracing the seam of his trousers up his thigh. “Do you really want to wait that long?” 

The line of cars they got stuck in wasn’t moving. Hux tapped his heel on the floor impatiently and swatted the teasing hand away. “Behave.”

Kylo caught his hand in a lightning fast movement and brought it to his lips instead, placing a deceptively sweet kiss on the back of it. 

“I don’t want to go to the flat, Hux. I’m hungry.”

Hux frowned, something unpleasant curling deep in his stomach. One thing was someone seeing him letting Kylo into his car. They _were_ neighbours, after all. But going out to eat together, in public - that was what couples did. Not they. 

“Kylo...”

“Very hungry,” Kylo repeated, deftly turning Hux’s hand, closing his lips around his finger and flicking his tongue against the tip. 

Hux huffed out a breath in a confusing combination of relief and irritation. He snatched his hand away and spared Kylo a pointed glare before reverting his attention back on the road. Green light. Fucking finally. 

“Hux. It’ll be fun.”

“It’d be illegal.”

“Only if someone sees us.”

Hux shot him an incredulous glance. “In New York. There isn’t a street not packed with people within-”

He didn’t finish as he had to slow down to a stop again. The traffic was horrendous tonight. Where were all these people going? The sidewalks were brimming with shoppers. Damn this time of year, how many Christmas gifts did people _need_?

“I know places,” Kylo said suggestively. 

“No.”

“Why not?”

Hux sighed, feeling a spike of headache rising behind his eye sockets. “For numerous reasons I have just listed, the most important of them being that I fucking said so. Jesus Christ, Kylo, don’t be obtuse, I don’t even have any condoms in the car.” 

He had to pay attention to the next left turn so he almost missed Kylo digging through his jacket pockets. But he couldn’t have missed the folded up piece of paper that landed in his lap at the next red light. 

“What’s that?”

“My STI screen results. I went last week. All clean.”

Hux blinked. 

“You don’t know if I am,” he pointed out. It didn’t sound very resolute even to his own ears. He _was_ thinking about it, he even got tested a couple days ago and he was pretty sure there wouldn’t be anything, but he was still waiting for the results...

“I know you are.” 

Hux narrowed his eyes at the careless confidence in Kylo’s tone. Sure enough, when he glanced over, Kylo was handing him another envelope. 

“I found it in the pile of your mail yesterday and recognised the clinic logo.”

Hux was speechless for another two seconds, not even registering the light changing until someone blared their honk behind them. He gritted his teeth and swerved his car into the first free slot by the pavement he saw. 

“You went through my post,” he stated, just to be sure. The cocky spark disappeared from Kylo’s eyes at the tone of his voice. That was right. Hux was pretty sure the car windows would frost over with his tone.

“I’m...” Kylo tried, suddenly timid, but Hux was already climbing out of the car and striding over, yanking Kylo’s door open. 

“Out.”

“Hux, please-”

“I. Said. Out.”

Chastised and awkward, Kylo scrambled to his feet. He was biting his lip and hunching his shoulders, hands wrapped around himself in the cold weather, too thrown off to remember zipping up his jacket... 

Hux left him standing there and slid into the seat he just vacated. 

“What are you waiting for?” he barked out when Kylo just stared at him, stupefied. “You said you know _places_. You’re driving.”

Kylo nearly tripped over his feet in his haste to get around the car and behind the wheel. 

“And make sure you take us somewhere nobody will hear you being loud,” Hux said when they were on the road again. 

“Fuck,” Kylo muttered under his breath, tightening his trembling hands on the steering wheel. Hux smirked to himself. Kylo was _so_ in for it.


	2. Chapter 2

Kylo drove them away from the overcrowded center and up and down streets with considerably less shops, lights, and people. After a few turns, Hux was sure he wouldn’t be able to find his way back without the help of navigation on his phone. Of course, Kylo probably knew his way around the city from his day job, fixing people’s sinks and bathrooms. Hux, on the other hand, barely drove anywhere else than to work and back, the same route every day. 

The traffic soon dwindled to an occasional truck or van but Kylo still drove carefully. Hux could see him itching to try what Hux’s M5 was worth but Kylo was already walking on a very thin line here, so he wisely didn’t dare. 

They stopped somewhere that looked like the back alley to some industrial lot or possibly a modern gallery. Apart from a solitary lamp further down on the corner the place was dark, with no windows looking down on them as far as Hux could see. Kylo shut down the engine, unbuckled his seat belt and wrung his hands for a moment, all the bravado from before gone out of him like a snuffed out flame. 

“Hux-”

-and before Hux could even get out of his seatbelt, Kylo was on him, warm and insistent, all large hands and soft lips, leaning awkwardly over the manual and planting one nuzzling kiss after another along the edge of Hux’s jaw, trying to hide his face in the crook of Hux’s neck and mumbling something Hux’s suspected were apologies. 

He cupped Kylo’s face, fingers tangling in overgrown locks, and used the grip to gently but firmly put some distance between himself and the enthusiastic assault of affection. 

“I’m not going to let you off the hook for this,” he said, nodding towards the stolen envelope tucked in between the seats. Kylo’s face fell. 

“I’m sorry. I didn’t think. I wanted to surprise you-”

“I understand the sentiment. But I don’t appreciate you reading my personal mail. That was very wrong, Kylo.”

Kylo sighed, nodding to himself, and shuffled back to his seat, folding his arms across his chest and chewing on his bottom lip for a moment. Then he perked up. 

“Will you spank me for it?”

Hux would have laughed at Kylo’s unbeatable optimism if he wasn’t actually annoyed. 

“I’ll have to punish you for it,” he said sternly. He shifted in his seat, unbuckled his belt and started to pull it out of the loops. In the dead quiet, the noise of the city just a distant hum, he could hear Kylo’s breath quickening. He folded the belt methodically into a length appropriate for a short range swatting and showed it to Kylo, who stared at it with wide eyes.

It might have been a trick of the light but Kylo looked paler. Hux remembered what Kylo told him, how he enjoyed paddling, the sting and heat of the heavy impact, the dull deep ache of bruises. The belt was much narrower than a paddle or a brush, with sharp edges that would bite into the skin, leaving welts.

“You can say no, Kylo. We have rules for the flat. We’re not in the flat now, it’s fine if you’d rather not continue with this.”

Kylo took a deep breath and then slumped in defeat. “I wanted to take this out of the flat. I deserve this.”

“Good,” Hux whispered, feeling a rush of pride. Kylo might be a brat and might have tried to butter him up with sweet kisses, but he knew when he fucked up for real. And he didn’t want Hux just for the games. That was a very heady feeling. 

“Turn around. Kneel on the seat,” he instructed Kylo. The interior of his sedan was spacious, but not enough that Kylo wouldn’t bang his head against the roof - so Hux pressed a button, reclining the back of the seat into a position half-way down. Kylo pulled his jeans down to his knees, and after a moment of hesitation, his plain black boxers too. Despite his trepidation, or maybe because of it, he was already half-hard, but the position Hux chose for him would deny him any friction to his cock. He leaned forward, folded his arms around the headrest and burrowed his face in the crook of his elbow, back arched, presenting his ass. 

Hux turned to sit sideways, so that his right hand, his dominant hand, had just enough room to swing. He tapped the supple flesh in front of him with the belt and let it slide along the round curve of it, perfect and smooth and…

...something caught his eye. Something between Kylo’s buttcheeks was gleaming faintly even in the low illumination from outside. With Kylo’s thighs pressed together demurely like this, it was almost invisible, but then Hux used his thumb and forefinger to spread his cheeks and there it was. 

A small round base of a black silicon plug, the skin around it glistening with lube. 

“You had high expectations for this, haven’t you?” 

Kylo’s ass gave a little shameless wiggle as Hux tugged at the plug, pulling it part way out. A few drops of lube escaped the stretched hole, trickling down towards Kylo’s balls. Kylo let out a cut-off moan, and then another when Hux shoved the plug back in none too gently. 

“Such a pity I have to ruin them.”

He picked up the belt again and put his left hand on the back of Kylo’s neck, feeling the flutter of rapid pulse under his fingertips. He stroked his thumb back and forth on his nape, grounding him.

“How many lashes do you think you deserve?”

“...Ten?” Kylo’s voice was small. He was trembling, and not just with the cold. 

“You acted in good faith, and I should’ve set your boundaries better. I’m going to give you five. You’re going to count them out, okay? Ready?” 

Kylo's ass was milky pale in the weak light from outside, Hux could barely see the familiar cluster of moles in the dimple of the left buttock. He knew why Kylo didn’t enjoy lashing. The fabric of his work jeans was rough on the raised welts on his skin the next day, and with all the crouching and kneeling for his job, it pulled and snagged and hurt like hell. Well, Kylo needed to learn a lesson, so Hux wasn’t going to hold back his swats, but he also wanted to make sure he didn't layer them on. 

He laid the first one across the top of Kylo’s buttocks, the crack of leather against skin the filthiest sound his car has ever witnessed. Kylo jumped in surprise, knees nearly sliding off the seat, and scrambled to right himself even as he hissed out through clenched teeth, ”One.”

The mark left by the first one started to suffuse with dark pink hue almost immediately. Hux laid the next across the swell of Kylo’s ass, waiting only for the breathed out number before he struck again, a little lower this time. It landed right over the base of the plug, making Kylo’s muscles clench around it, the number leaving Kylo's lips on a ragged gasp. 

On the fourth lash, Hux let the belt snap across the soft sensitive underside of Kylo’s ass, where the meat of his buttocks met his thighs. Kylo’s self control broke, his hands gripping the headrest so hard his knuckles turned white, and he cried out the number, loud enough that he must have been heard outside of the car. Hux hoped Kylo knew what he was doing when he picked this spot. 

He put down the belt for a moment and caressed the marks, Kylo flinching and then pushing into his hand with a sobbing exhale. There wasn’t any broken skin, but the angry lines stood stark on his skin even in the bleak, colourless light from outside. It almost looked as if Kylo was wearing one of his naughty pants, the ones with just the straps of pink elastic across the back holding the front pouch in place. 

A fleeting fantasy appeared in front of Hux's mind’s eye, about how fetching would Kylo’s long pale neck look with a strip of black leather wrapped snug around it, studded with Hux’s name… With regret, Hux banished the fantasy. They weren’t like that. 

“One more.” He didn’t want to prolong this punishment any more than strictly necessary. He picked up the belt and snapped it against the back of Kylo’s thighs, with enough force that Kylo kicked out involuntarily and definitely lost his balance. He toppled sideways, curling on himself and whimpering “Five” in between quiet “fuck, fuck, fuck” muttered under his breath. 

Hux tossed the belt away and leaned over, gathering as much of Kylo into his arms as he could. Kylo’s lips were bitten and swollen and his eyelashes were stuck together in wet spikes, but he rubbed his face over Hux’s shirt with enthusiasm and all but nudged his head into Hux’s hand, asking for pets like an overgrown cat. 

“Shit, this was so not how I imagined tonight to go,” Kylo groaned when his breath finally steadied again. His cock had only gotten harder during the ordeal and now he kept shifting his hips almost unconsciously, his arousal slowly taking over the endorphins of the aftermath. 

“You took that so well. I’m so proud of you,” Hux whispered to him. “Do you want to be good now?”

In those sweet moments of aftercare, Hux would often forget how strong his lover actually was. Kylo’s recovery period could be surprisingly short when the prospect of getting what he wanted was dangled in front of him. Within a second, he shook off the cuddly mood, lifted himself up, and rolled them as if Hux weighed nothing to push him back into his seat. Then he unceremoniously clambered over the manual and knelt on the floor between Hux’s legs, his jeans and pants still tangled around his ankles. 

The leg room he so admired before was barely enough for him to fit there, crouched a little awkwardly but looking up at Hux with eyes like a child in a candy shop. He laid his hands on Hux’s thighs, thumbs tracing the inner seams and fingers inching towards the fly, his intention clear. Hux reached out and fondly stroked his hair, tucking the longer strands away from his face. 

“Is this what you wanted?” he asked with an amused smile. “To suck my cock with your knees getting raw on the floor rug while that lovely hole of yours is completely wasted around a plug?”

“I want to show you I can be good,” Kylo said. It would have sounded sweet if Hux didn’t catch that cheeky grin. Kylo leaned forward and nuzzled his face across Hux’s fly. And he kept talking. 

“With the fuss you kicked up earlier, I thought you think yourself too old for car sex or something. Above the fumbling. The foggy windows, car rocking on its wheels, sweaty skin on leather seats…”

The seductive register Kylo’s voice dropped into was doing things to Hux’s cock. He could feel himself hardening under the teasing ministrations but Kylo didn’t make a move to actually touch him without permission. He really must have wanted to be good. 

“.... all that, too juvenile for a law abiding citizen like you.”

If only he could keep his opinions to himself just as well as his hands. 

“I should give you my cock just to shut you up,” Hux admonished him. “You really don't know when to stop running your mouth, do you?” 

“I'll take whatever you give me.”

That sounded very docile but Hux knew Kylo wasn't. Kylo was a greedy one, give him an inch and he'd take a mile. But Hux didn't mind. Maybe because deep down, he was the same. 

He stopped stroking Kylo’s hair and run his fingertips across his lips instead. Kylo’s tongue was hot when it met his fingers, licking and running between them, and Hux pressed down on it, feeling the edges of his teeth. He grinned. 

“Well, contrary to your assumptions, I _am_ going to take full advantage of having a beautiful, half naked and eager to please man in my car.” 

At the press of another button, the back of Hux’s seat moved into the same reclining position as its neighbour. Hux unbuttoned and unzipped his trousers, pushed them down just enough to pull out his cock, gave himself a few good strokes with Kylo’s saliva easing the way and then he laid back comfortably, folding his arms behind his head and giving Kylo an imperious look down the length of his body. 

“Take the plug out and ride me.”

Toeing off his sneakers and wriggling out of his jeans and pants was for a properly motivated Kylo a matter of seconds. Crawling up the seat with his jacket still on and naked from the waist down shouldn’t look so fucking sexy but Kylo still managed it, straddling Hux and reaching behind himself. His brow pinched and jaw clenched when he removed the plug - he must have it in for _hours_ \- and then he was sinking down on Hux’s cock, and the satisfied groan he let out must have been heard on the outside. Hux’s stomach curled in abject dread, but damn if it didn’t make him even harder. 

It took a few seconds of adjustment for Kylo to figure out where to plant his hands for proper leverage. Hux had no intention of helping him - if Kylo wanted this, he could work for it. After a moment, Kylo started moving in little experimental thrusts, fucking himself with increasing abandon. His hair kept falling into his face and the sounds he made, _the sounds-_

Little strained whimpers and breathy moans echoed around the car as Kylo bounced in rapid movements, rolling his hips in the search for the right angle, and every time the tender skin of his ass came into contact with the wool of Hux's trousers it forced a tiny helpless _ah_ out of him that went straight to Hux's cock. 

“That’s it,” Hux encouraged him. “Go on, make yourself feel good.”

Sweat dotted Kylo’s temples and the bridge of his nose, his hair getting stuck there in wet curls. Hux reached up to brush it away and Kylo pressed a sloppy kiss to his palm, eyes scrunched, face strained in his chase of pleasure. He leaned a little more forward, gasped, and Hux felt him clench and squeeze his cock as he finally found the sweet spot and drove himself down against it, over and over. 

So tight, so perfect around him. Kylo nearly sobbed, breath coming in shallow gasps, working himself on Hux’s cock with increasing speed. Hux could feel him starting to tense, his arms shaking where they held on the seat, that pretty cock twitching and dripping a string of precome onto Hux’s shirt. He wanted to see how far Kylo could get without touching him, he wanted to watch him come on just Hux’s cock and nothing else-

“Fuck, Hux, I need- I need more-” Kylo’s voice sounded close to breaking.

Taking pity, Hux moved his hand towards his cock but Kylo shook his head, gritting his teeth.

“No - just - _more_ . Please. Oh _fuck_ , Hux, please-”

He looked like he didn’t know what _exactly_ he needed, trusting Hux to know, and that alone was almost enough for Hux to lose it then and there. But he didn’t. He wanted to try something, and he didn’t want to come until Kylo did. 

“Shhh. I’ve got you.” Fingers fumbling only a little, Hux made a quick work of loosening his tie and pulling it over his head, and then down over Kylo’s. He used the loose end to pull Kylo closer for a kiss, wet and hungry, and then he slowly tightened the knot until he could feel it lie snugly against Kylo’s throat, and then a little bit more. Kylo’s eyes rolled back in his head. 

“Fuck, yes-” he rasped, dropping his hips down and clenching around Hux’s cock, whole body shuddering and cock pulsing as he came all over both of them. 

Hux released the knot only enough to make sure Kylo could breathe. Then he grabbed his hips and thrust up into him, fast and hard. It didn’t take long. He dug his fingers into the marks on Kylo’s ass as he came and he could swear Kylo’s cock twitched and spurted one last drop of come, trapped and squished between them. Kylo made a sweet little oversensitive whimper against Hux’s ear. 

The car went still. Hux didn’t even notice the rocking motion until it stopped. The air around them was humid. Kylo was slumped against him, panting over his shoulder, and Hux’s shirt was plastered to his back with sweat. 

Kylo didn’t seem ready to move for a while. Hux could feel himself softening and soon they would have to get up and sort themselves out. There should be wet wipes in the glove compartment, if he remembered correctly. 

Kylo turned his head slightly, pressed a kiss into the side of Hux’s throat and then he reached over him, feeling around the back seats until he found his toolbox. He retrieved a bottle of water from there, took a long swig and then offered it to Hux. Hux snorted out a laugh. His scheming lover really thought of everything. 

“So, did I convince you about the car sex thing?”

Considering his come was currently leaking out of Kylo’s hole, Hux couldn’t really deny the point. 

“Maybe. Though personal health aside, I’d prefer condoms next time. This suit is dry clean.”

“Fair enough.” Kylo lifted himself up and hissed when his bare ass rubbed against Hux’s trousers. Without the condiment of arousal, the raw skin of his spanked ass was plain uncomfortable. Sitting down, even on the luxuriously cushioned seats, would be a challenge for tonight at least.

“Consequences, hm?” Hux tutted, and then he took pity with him. “You can lie down on the back seats. I’ll drive us home.” 

Kylo pouted but didn’t protest. If he wanted to try out the M5’s eight cylinder engine on the empty night roads, he would have to try not pissing off Hux beforehand next time. 

It took some rearranging but eventually they cleaned up and settled, Hux behind the wheel and Kylo curled on his side in the back. Seats and clothes back in place, it almost looked as if it all was a delirious dream. 

Hux kept glancing at Kylo through the rear view mirror as he drove. The man was blinking sleepily, hair mussed, fingers of one hand playing absentmindedly with the end of Hux’s tie. The dark coloured silk looked so good against his throat. Hux ignored the soft-voiced instructions of his navigation app and took a longer route, just so he could enjoy the sight a little bit longer. 

“How would you feel about wearing a collar?” he asked at last. He couldn’t help it. Kylo wasn’t the only one greedy here. 

Kylo’s eyes were soft and deep, catching the light from the street lamps they passed. He looked at Hux for a long moment. 

“Only in the bedroom.” He sounded cautious. 

“Of course,” Hux nodded. Of course.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh Hux. Perhaps the last chapter will finally make you happy?


	3. Chapter 3

Two months. 

Two months since Hux’s fridge leaked all over the kitchen floor and made him found out how much he and his antagonistic neighbour actually had in common.

Past Hux would scoff at his present self for keeping track of time in such a frivolous way. Hux was never one for anniversaries. That didn’t mean he wouldn’t celebrate birthdays - he always made sure he bought himself something delicate, pretty and _intimate_ , on his birthday - but there simply wasn’t anything and anyone in his life to stay for longer than a couple of nights. His longest relationship to date was the boy who took his virginity after their graduation party, gave Hux a sweet kiss and made him promise to wait for him, and then promptly fucked off to London for a pre-college course and the number he gave Hux was probably accidentally wrong.

Hux ran into him by complete chance forty two later when his father made him tag along for a visit to one of his old Army friends. In the middle of the Marylebone Road. 

He still counted that as the official end of their relationship even though the other boy probably didn’t remember him for forty and one day of it. 

He was nineteen then. It was a long time ago. 

But now it’s been two months. And Kylo not only showed up in the evenings. He also stayed the nights, and on Sundays, the days as well. One time, he showed up with a grocery store bag full of stuff and proceeded to bake an upside down apple tart that actually tasted much better than it looked. Hux’s kitchen was a mess afterwards and Hux had Kylo right there on the kitchen table in the midst of it, urgent and quick and dirty, licking caramel and brandy off his skin. Maybe there was something about vanilla bean being an aphrodisiac. 

Another Friday night Hux mentioned that he had an important audit coming up and would spend the entire weekend working. Kylo showed up on Sunday afternoon anyway, with his game console which he plugged into Hux’s TV and a pair of massive headphones, and was actually quiet and unobstructive and _simply just there_ sitting cross legged on Hux’s carpet while Hux worked. It was disconcerting. Hux wrapped up his work faster simply because he wanted to see what kind of pants Kylo wore this time. 

And somehow, it would be two months of this tomorrow, and Hux was turning the invitation to his company’s annual Christmas party in his fingers. It granted him, like everyone else, a plus one. 

Did he have a plus one?

*

“I swear I can hear you thinking. Stop it.”

Kylo’s words were mumbled into Hux’s pillow and half of them garbled around a yawn but Hux heard them anyway. 

“So you’re a mind reader now?”

“Hmmm, I wish. Then I’d know what bothers you so much.” 

Kylo turned his head and tilted his back for Hux to reach a little lower. They were in bed, Hux’s blanket thrown over them both, and Hux’s fingers were tracing mindless patterns over the faint rope imprints left on the skin of Kylo’s back. He’d massaged out the most of them earlier but Kylo lived for back scritches, all but melting under the gentle attention. By all accounts, he should have been dead asleep by now. 

Hux, on the other hand, was annoyingly awake. 

“It’s nothing. Just a work thing coming up.”

Kylo yawned again. “Do you work for slavers? The holidays are around the corner. What business does have important things coming- _oh._ ”

For someone so fucked-out and sleepy, Kylo was still unfortunately quick on the uptake. 

“It’s a Christmas party isn’t it,” he drawled, obviously pleased with himself. “And you hate socialising.”

“Do I?” Hux was split between being amused by the audacity and offended by the accuracy. 

“If you loved it, I’d never find you at home in a sexy lingerie with just a crapped out fridge for company.”

“Careful, Kylo. The fridge is starting to look like a better companion with your every word.”

Kylo muffled a laugh into the pillow. His movements were still slow and heavy like molasses, but his eyes were already getting that up-to-no-good spark Hux knew so well. He sighed internally. So much work for nothing. 

“I hate parties too,” Kylo said as if confiding a great secret. “Though I think yours would be a bit different to what I used to go to.”

“Indeed, it’s a creative black tie. A _bit_ different to frat houses or your classmates basements,” Hux snorted. If he had zero social life, Kylo’s was firmly in the negative values. His attitude worked effectively on rejecting any unfortunate souls who tried to be friendly with him. 

“Hm-hmm.” Kylo rolled over, stretching himself on his back and staring at the ceiling. After what started to feel like an uncomfortable pause, he spoke again. 

“But I bet you’ll look sharp. I wish I could see you prancing around in a fancy brocade suit and Oxfords.” 

Hux’s heart skipped a beat and his brain skipped a line of code. Otherwise he wasn’t sure why did his mouth open - but the words were out before he could swallow them back. 

“You could.”

“What?”

It was too embarrassing to back out now. “I can take a plus one. You… if you wanted.”

Kylo’s gaze slid from the ceiling to focus on him, but it didn’t look pleasantly surprised. He looked cautious, again. Like every time Hux suggested something _more._ The anticipation soured in Hux’s mouth. 

“Like a...”

“It’s fine, forget it.”

“I haven’t said-”

“I said it’s fine. It’s just a stupid party that I’ll attend just long enough for my boss to see I showed up and then sneak away.”

Hux lied through his teeth. Rae Sloane had privately let him know that she was going to announce her retirement at the party, and him as her successor. 

Kylo was frowning now. He reached across the space between them, finger tracing the sharp downwards line around Hux’s mouth. 

“It means something to you.”

It did. With a sharp pang of something he didn’t want to put a name to, Hux realised it meant a great deal to him if Kylo was there. Witnessing the greatest moment of his career. 

But they weren’t like that, were they?

“That doesn’t imply it should mean anything to you.”

Kylo pressed his lips together and shook his head briefly, as if annoyed with something. Himself. Hux. Maybe both. 

“Hux. Are you really that dense?” he asked. It sounded impatient. 

Hux glared. “Don’t bite the hand that can spank you until you cry,” he warned, an automatic deflection. 

“Promises promises,” Kylo sing-songed, but his eyes were smiling. He shifted closer, hand sneaking around Hux’s neck to play with the shortest hair on his nape. 

“Let’s do this, Hux. I’ll be your hot date.” 

“It doesn’t have to be a date,” Hux mustered up one last feeble protest. “Plenty of people will bring their friends, or family members...”

“Sure,” Kylo drawled, no longer hiding his amusement. “At the risk of suffering another spanking, I stand by my point that you’re really very dense.”

“As if you would ever _suffer_ ,” Hux huffed, relief washing away all the anxiety that troubled him for the past two days. He put his arms around Kylo and let him tuck his head into the crook of Hux’s neck, mostly so Kylo wouldn’t see his inordinately happy smile. 

Which got washed off as soon as another thought hit him. 

“Do you even own a suit?”

“Hmmm?” Kylo sounded sleepy again, and damn, this wasn’t the best time...

“A suit, Kylo. And I don’t mean whatever you wore to high school graduation.”

“Hmmm. Don’t worry about that....”

Oh, but Hux very much worried. 

“I guess we can rent you something,” he allowed at last, but no reply came. In his arms, Kylo was soundly asleep. 

*

Hux’s worry returned when he woke in the morning to a cold bed and a note on a kitchen table that read:

_gone to work, see you tonight xxx_

Hux fiddled with his phone. One of the first rules they laid down was that this… thing between them wasn’t to interfere with work. Hux’s, mainly, but Kylo’s as well. And while Hux could easily take a half day off, Kylo’s jobs didn’t come at fixed hours. Some days he was fully booked, some days he was free to take on emergencies. Going out with Hux to browse suit rentals could mean a loss of a lot of potential income…

Well, it wouldn’t be like it was the first rule that had gone out of the window. 

_-We need to sort out your outfit._

Hux was finishing his morning cup of coffee when his phone pinged with a reply. 

_-No worries. Already sorted it out. When do we have to leave?_

That didn’t sound very reassuring. Hux pinched the bridge of his nose and counted to five and back to keep himself from calling him. Kylo had obviously decided to be a brat about it. In that case, Hux would have to improvise. It wasn’t like he hadn’t Kylo’s measurements imprinted in the back of his mind. He should be able to pick the correct shirt size just by putting his hand against the collar and see how it fit into his fingers. When the shop clerk wasn’t looking, of course. 

The party started at 6pm, taking the traffic into account, they should be leaving at 5:30 to get there comfortably. 

- _5pm. Be on time._

That should give Hux enough time to wrestle Kylo into something much better than what that incurable brat probably considered good enough. 

*

5:05. No Kylo. No text. It was fine. Five minutes was nothing. 

5:15. No Kylo, no text, and Hux was seriously considering spanking that brat as soon as he showed up, then locking him in the bedroom and spank him again after he came back from the party just for ruining his hopes. 

5:25. No Kylo, no text, and Hux had the sinking feeling he was going to be stood up… on his first real date in over a decade. 

The knock on his door came at 5:29, just as Hux was reaching for the door handle to let himself out of the flat. He yanked the door open so fast it nearly knocked out a hole in the plaster of his hallway. 

“Sorry, took me a while to get into this.”

On the threshold stood Kylo, hair in luscious shiny waves, wearing an impeccably tailored black Giorgio Armani suit, black dress shirt, no tie and a devilishly innocent grin. 

Several questions rose and died on Hux’s lips in quick succession, each beginning either with _where_ or _how._ Only when his eyes started to burn he realised he should blink. 

In front of him, the exotic vision straight out of his dirty dreams started to look slightly unsure, as if Kylo finally realised his little prank could have gone too far. 

“Um, you said creative black tie, so I got creative. All black, and no… tie...”

Hux could hear him trailing off, thrown off his act when Hux turned on his heel and walked back into his flat. The muttered something that followed was most certainly a curse but this wasn’t a time for correcting Kylo’s language. Hux marched straight into his bedroom, swept off the rental tux he laid out onto the bed earlier and retrieved only one item. His hand trembled when he picked it up and he forced his fingers to unclench as he carried it out. It would be shame to crumple it. 

“Hux?” The Kylo that greeted him again looked less like the suave socialite from just a minute ago and more like the obnoxiously endearing plumber he knew. Hux breathed out, the shock slowly leaving him. 

“Tie means you have to wear a tie, Kylo.”

Kylo made a face. “Pretty sure I don’t, I did my research you kn-” 

He halted when he noticed the simple black bow tie in Hux’s hand. 

“It will fit into your monochrome look rather nicely.”

Kylo’s eyes were searching when they lifted up to Hux’s. “You bought that for me?”

Hux nodded, though it wasn’t all that there was to it. He also had it… _customized_. With the finest black embroidery on the inside that read, almost imperceptibly, in black thread stitches on black satin: _A.H._

“It would please me if you wore it,” Hux said lightly. Much more lightly than he felt. Kylo _did_ say that he would only tolerate collars in the bedroom… but they have been breaking so many rules lately. What was one more. 

After all, this wasn’t a collar. It was just a tie. 

A tie with Hux’s initials against the throat of the most stunning man at the entire party that Kylo was surely going to be. It didn’t matter that the letters were virtually invisible. Hux’s heart would beat easier just from knowing they were there. 

Of course Kylo noticed the stitching. He ran his thumb over it, still searching for something in Hux’s eyes. Hux tried very hard to steel up his spine and not simply break down and beg. 

“Thank you,” Kylo said at last, a small smile breaking on his face. “Will you put it on me? I don’t know how to tie it and I guess we’re already running late.” 

“We are not,” Hux said, regaining the rest of his composure by creating a picture perfect bow right over the hollow of Kylo’s throat. “How come you never learned how to do it?”

“I never wear ties,” Kylo shrugged lightly as Hux locked his apartment and followed him to the elevator. He waited until they were both inside it before leaning in and whispering into Hux’s ear: 

“It’s the tightness around my throat. Makes me hard. Rather inconvenient in public.”

Hux felt a rush of heat travelling under the midnight blue silk of his own Westwood suit and cursed internally. Now _he_ was getting… inconvenienced, too, which no doubt was Kylo’s intention. The brat was clearly laying grounds for a fitting punishment after the party and if he kept it up, he was going to get exactly what he was asking for. 

*

Hux was right. Kylo was easily the most dashing man at the party. Hux always put great effort into his looks and enjoyed graciously accepting compliments, but the extra amount of attention he was getting now was almost making him dizzy. 

Either that, or it was all the little ways Kylo was coming up with to discreetly infuriate him.

On the outside, Kylo’s behaviour was utterly respectable. He didn’t wander off and run his mouth. On the contrary, he kept close to Hux and didn’t engage in conversations unless directly addressed, and even then he kept his replies polite, short and perfectly vacant. He seemed content to play the role of the eye-candy on Hux’s arm, almost literally, as he never strayed far enough to lose contact, always seemingly casually touching Hux in one way or another: resting his hand on Hux’s elbow when Hux talked to someone or brushing their shoulders as they stood in line for the buffet. 

And each and every one of those innocent, almost accidental touches was reminding Hux of how much he longed to grab Kylo by the lapels of his bespoke suit, drag him to the gents, and make him defile the knees of those impeccably pressed trousers on the bathroom floor. 

After an hour or so of this torture Hux got tired of mingling and steered Kylo towards the stairs leading to the gallery running around the main hall. This vantage point put them high enough above the rest of the crowd for the buzz of conversations to dissolve into a distant, unintelligible hum. 

“Is this where we’ll stand and pass judgement on everyone else?” Kylo asked cheekily, handing Hux one of the drinks he snatched on their way up. 

Hux chuckled. Oh, how he wished. But they weren’t alone, even here. A further down the gallery stood a group of people and amongst them Peavey, the head of another department and a man whom Hux only met in yearly reviews. Hux knew Peavey as someone who had been basically born, raised and mummified in the company, someone who considered himself a rock in the storm, and now the man was giving them a funny look. But before Hux could as much as nod at him amiably, Peavey turned and stalked off towards the staircase on the other end. 

Odd. But then, Hux had always heard through the grapevine that Peavey hated his guts. 

Kylo didn’t even notice that exchange, eyes never leaving Hux and full of mischief. Again. 

“Come on, Hux. Don’t I deserve some fun? Haven’t I been on my best behaviour the whole time?” 

Hux raised his brow at him. “You know exactly what you deserve.” He kept his voice low. “If I could, I’d have you over my knee right here.” 

Kylo grinned. “Did you know there’ll be fireworks outside by the fountain at ten? Plenty of bangs and cracks. Nobody would notice a little extra noise from the coatroom.”

“Kylo...” Hux could feel the tips of his ears burn. It was a terrible idea, but when it came to Kylo, he was so _weak._

“You could use one of your fancy dress shoes,” Kylo was whispering in his ear. “Don’t think I didn’t notice the red soles. It’s been driving me mad the whole time.”

Hux was torn between shutting Kylo up with a kiss or dragging him to the bathrooms and shutting him up more effectively, but then a voice from below put a rather abrupt end to his dilemma. 

“Armitage? Sorry to interrupt you sweethearts but could you make your way down to the podium? I have something to say to everyone.” 

Rae Sloane stood there, head tilted up, the chastising tone of her voice betrayed by the amused twinkle in her eyes. Hux hurriedly nodded, gulped down the rest of his drink to calm his sudden nerves and didn’t even protest when Kylo offered him his arm on the way down the stairs. 

This was it. The moment he’d tirelessly worked towards the past five years. First clawing his way up through the London branch, then under Sloane’s tutelage in the New York headquarters of the American branch, and now…

Sloane’s speech was refreshingly short and to the point. A first round of applause rose through the hall when she announced her retirement coming the New Year and thanked everyone for their good job, and the second round after she announced his name carried Hux up to the podium like a wave. There’d been a whistle. A couple of Hux’s favourite junior managers cheered. Sloane shook his hand. But all Hux could see in the crowd was Kylo, tall and stunning, with a soft smile on his face. Looking proud of him. 

Hux didn’t even know how he got back down, but then there was Kylo right in front of him, pulling him into a hug. 

“Congratulations,” Kylo murmured in his ear, and Hux was going to kiss him, crowd be damned-

“Ben Organa Solo? How nice meeting you here.”

Hux didn’t even hear Peavey’s voice at first until he felt Kylo freeze in his arms. Then, with embarrassing slowness, the words registered. 

“Excuse me?”

Peavey somehow looked simultaneously like a cat that got the cream and someone who bit into a lemon. His fake cheerful voice was dripping with venom and something in his eyes mad Hux’s blood run cold. In his hand, Kylo’s hand was clammy and shaking. 

“Of course, you wouldn’t remember me. You were barely a teen when I met your mother at the Congressional back in 2004. Most exceptional woman, took her Senate seat two years later, didn’t she? Still in good health I hope, is she?” 

Hux couldn’t make the heads or tails of this. Congressional Ball? In the White House? What was Peavey talking about? He must have mistaken Kylo for someone else…

But then Kylo dropped his eyes. Hunched his shoulders. “Oh, yes, thank you. She is.”

Hux’s vision went a little foggy and his grip on Kylo’s hand slackened. In front of them, Peavey was all but brimming with malicious satisfaction. 

“Ah, and congratulations, Hux. Who would’ve thought, when you first came here, that your star would rise so quickly? I must admit I was worried for you - it’s hard to make it far in this city without friends in the right places.”

He ran his eyes over Kylo once again, the sneer on his face barely masked now. 

“Of course, I see you’ve already made friends in the highest places. No wonder Sloane had chosen you. Anyways, enjoy the rest of the night! Well deserved!”

And with that parting jab, Peavey disappeared in the crowd. 

It took Hux several long seconds to dare a glance on Kylo’s face. The look of utter devastation he found there went through his chest like a stab of a knife. 

“Hux...”

“No,” Hux whispered hoarsely. He realised his hand was still in Kylo’s - no, Ben Organa Solo’s - hand, and he let go of it as if it stung as the implication of it all started to sink in.

The ‘more distinguished’ career Kylo’s mother wanted him to pursue. The perfectly fitted suit he just happened to own. How he could afford the rent for the place he lived in. It all finally made sense. 

Unfortunately for Hux, the realisation came far too late. He was blinded by affection to ask the right questions, and now he got more answers than he ever wished for.

He managed to endure half an hour more of the honeyed, sneering congratulations as the murmurs about who his date really was spread through the crowd like a wildfire. Half an hour of Ky- no, of a sudden _stranger_ standing dutifully next to him, fending off the attention with fake smiles and polite pleasantries that made Hux hate every word leaving that perfect mouth. Half an hour, not a minute more. 

The ride back to their apartment complex was tense and quiet. Hux never tore his eyes off the road and Kylo next to him was pale and silent. Hux parked the car in his slot in the underground garage, shut off the engine and left his hands on the steering wheel for a few moments longer, breathing deep with his eyes closed. Centering himself.

When he was finally able to look at Kylo again, he’d found his eyes red-rimmed and lips trembling. On the verge of tears - as if he could cry his way out of the mess he’d caused. 

Pathetic. 

“Hux, I’m so sorry...”

Hux didn’t want to hear his apologies. He extended his hand towards him, palm up. Demanding. Firm.

“Give it back.”

Kylo made a small sound, like a kicked animal. His fingers trembled towards the tie around his neck. 

“Hux… I didn’t - it’s been years since I was last seen as… as that. I didn’t think anyone would recognise me.”

The disaster in Hux’s mind started to transform into cold fury in his blood. 

“The first thing I wanted from you - the only one that really mattered to me - was honesty.”

“I didn’t lie to you!” Kylo nearly cried. “Kylo Ren is my legal name. I’ve tried for years to fit into the shoes of Ben Organa Solo but I was never smart enough, smooth enough, I was never _good_ enough- Hux, please, I didn’t deceive you. _This is me_.”

Hux shook his head. On some level, he was absorbing the words, but the ache in his heart was making them sound hollow and meaningless. 

“I believe you didn’t want to,” he said coldly. “But you did. And now everyone at my work thinks that I got my promotion for fucking the son of a Senator. A little advance warning would have been nice!”

“I’m sorry!” Kylo shouted. He brought his clenched fist against his own thigh and winced. “If I knew that old weasel was going to be there I would’ve stayed home! I’m sorry I ruined it all, I swear.”

Home. Hux thought about the two flats - his, a safe, familiar space, and then Kylo’s, where he never stepped foot in. It never occurred to him why he should. He knew so little about the man he lost his head about. What a fool he was. 

They had rules for a reason, and they have broken every single one of them. They should’ve never let this interfere with work. They should’ve never let it leave the flat. 

Hux probably shouldn’t ever start fucking his neighbour in the first place. 

Kylo was still gripping the tie around his throat, not making any actual move to remove it. Hux’s stomach lurched at the thought of his initials - the mark of his possessiveness - over such _fraud_. 

“I said give it back.”

Kylo swallowed. Something desperate flashed in his eyes. 

“I thought it was a gift,” he mumbled defiantly. 

Hux shook his head. Gifts like this were for relationships. He thought he’d been in one. For two months today. But as it turned out, his longest relationship up to date was still that jerk who’d fucked him at nineteen and then gave him a fake number. At least he never gave him a fake name. 

“I don’t know who I gave it to.”

The crumpled tie stayed on the seat long after Kylo’s heavy steps stopped echoing through the darkened garage. The elevator light blinked to life and then, a few moments later, went out again. Everything was silent. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, aren't they both dumb?
> 
> I have planned and outlined a third fic in this series where they do the impossible, i.e. get their shit together. (Isn't it weird that I started my kylux journey back after TFA with canon-verse D/s series [Everything of Me](https://archiveofourown.org/series/428959), and now I might be ending it with another one set in modern AU?)
> 
> But I'm going to wait after TROS to see if there's still any kylux fandom afterwards to write for.

**Author's Note:**

> I'm sinningsquire on [Tumblr](http://sinningsquire.tumblr.com/) and I also have a [Twitter. ](https://twitter.com/SquiresBella)


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